Center for Pima Basin Sustainability (CPBS)

The Center for Pima Basin Sustainability (CPBS) serves as the fiscal umbrella and Board of Directors for these programs.

The CPBS identifies, promotes and supports sustainable technologies, infrastructure and processes for southern Arizona. Governed by an independent board of directors and working with Pima Association of Governments, the center provides staff support and other resources to assist its focus areas of environment, energy and transportation. The center’s mission is complementary to PAG’s Sustainable Environment Programs including Rideshare, Clean Cities, Water and Air.

CPBS was established as a 501(c)3 as a means for the center's aligned entities to seek tax-deductible donations. View the link below for the structure of the CPBS.

Tucson Conserve2EnhanceTM connects water conservation efforts to environmental benefits through community action. When you conserve water, you can turn your savings into C2E donations to help fund community grants that further enhance our urban waterways and wildlife habitats.

C2E is guided by the C2E Advisory Board whose key partners include Sonoran Institute, the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, Pima Association of Governments and Tucson Water.

Become a C2E Business Partner

Align your conservation goals with a community investment:

Lead by investing in a vibrant landscape and engaged community

Receive a free water audit, be guided through rebate programs, learn water conservation tips that best fit your site, and view your water savings impact through the C2E website (a private and automated tracker)

This voluntary, donation-based program is a means to fund environmental enhancement projects in water department service areas in the region. C2E offers water use databases, grant reviews, restoration site implementation and participant newsletters. Currently, C2E pans much of the Pima County Wastewater Service area and all of the Tucson Water Service area, which cross into portions of every PAG member jurisdiction.

Proper pharmaceutical disposal is vital to public health and the environment. When pharmaceuticals are washed down the drain or flushed down the toilet, for example, they contaminate our wastewater.

At the same time, if pharmaceuticals are thrown in with the trash without the proper precautions, they can be found and consumed by children or pets.

In support of proper pharmaceutical disposal, Pima Association of Governments is a partner of Pima County’s Dispose-A-Med program, which supports pharmaceutical take-back events throughout the county.

In the Tucson region, treated effluent is released into rivers and washes, where it can infiltrate our soil and groundwater, carrying pharmaceutical residues with it.

Since medications are produced from an ever-changing array of complex chemicals, current technology does not allow wastewater treatment facilities to remove all these chemical wastes from effluent.

Safe Disposal Methods

Pharmaceutical take-back programs, such as Pima County’s Dispose A Med program, allow law enforcement and local organizations to team up and collect unused or expired pharmaceuticals from the public.

Instead of throwing away or flushing pharmaceuticals, you can participate in a take-back event near you. For more information about the program and an event schedule, please visit Dispose-A-Med.

So far, the Dispose-A-Med program has been very successful. On Sept. 25, 2010, Dispose-A-Med partners participated in the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Of the 3 tons of unused or expired pharmaceuticals collected throughout Arizona, Pima County residents contributed 1 ton.

Although take-back programs are preferred, if you are unable to attend a take-back event and you urgently need to dispose of medications, it is possible to throw them in the trash without risking the health of children or pets. Be sure to follow these steps:

Pour pills or liquid medication into a water-tight, opaque container, such as an empty margarine tub.

For pills, add enough warm water to partially dissolve them and form a paste. For liquid medications, you may skip this step.

Mix in used coffee grounds, kitty litter, soil, or another undesirable substance.

Place a lid on the container, seal it with packing or duct tape, bag it, and throw it in the trash.

Before disposing of prescription bottles, be sure to remove and destroy all labels to avoid identity theft.

Long-Term Health Care Facilities

Many patients in long-term health care facilities (nursing homes, hospice care, etc.) have numerous prescriptions. In 2009, PAG surveyed long-term health care facilities in Tucson to determine common pharmaceutical disposal practices and to assess the willingness of these facilities to participate in take-back programs.

PAG found that a majority of facilities relied upon pharmaceutical pick-ups and hazardous waste collection sites for disposal. In addition, most facilities indicated that they were interested in participating in regional take-back programs, especially site pick-ups, and some even offered to help develop a take-back program that will fit their needs.

Southern Arizona, with over 300 days of sunshine each year, is uniquely positioned to use solar energy. By diversifying our region's energy portfolio through the use of solar power, we subsequently become more energy independent. The use of solar power helps support a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the creation of a vibrant local solar industry built on solar installer expertise.

The Southern Arizona Regional Solar Partnership seeks to increase awareness of solar energy opportunities through education and outreach. A cooperative effort among government agencies, local businesses, local electric utilities, solar manufacturers, solar installers and individuals, the Solar Partnership encourages the use of solar energy by identifying the benefits of using solar and educates others about solar opportunities to support our solar economy.

The partnership was established in 2008 in conjunction with a grant the City of Tucson received from Solar America Cities to develop the Greater Tucson Solar Energy Development Plan and City Solar Integration Plan. In 2013, the Solar Partnership established a professional technical training subcommittee. The key mission is to provide education and training to solar installers, and to partner with various organizations for continuing education opportunities and peer-to-peer inspections. Previously, these tasks had been conducted by the Southern Arizona Solar Standards Board. The Board was independently active from 2011 to 2013.

Pima Association of Governments manages Tucson Clean Cities, a voluntary program of the U.S. Department of Energy to advance the nation's economic, environmental and energy security by supporting local actions to reduce the use of petroleum in transportation and promoting the use of alternative-fuel vehicles and fuels, along with building a local refueling infrastructure for these vehicles. Alternative fuels include biodiesel, ethanol (E85), compressed natural gas, propane, hybrid electric, fuel cell and hydrogen technologies.

Tucson Clean Cities, through its Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition of over 90 members, works with local businesses and government to guide them through the process necessary to establish the foundation for a viable alternative fuels market.